


Beating Circuits

by IdlePace



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Angst, Artificial Intelligence, M/M, References to Illness, Tragic Romance, Violence, use of strong language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2014-08-05
Packaged: 2018-02-11 22:05:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2084847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdlePace/pseuds/IdlePace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lonely scientist, given a chance with love, but no one has the heart to tell him his love doesn't really exist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beating Circuits

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to tell you.” Lalna ghosted a comforting hand close to Xephos’ shoulder, confused on how to proceed, “I really didn’t want to, but I felt you should know in the end.”

“This is ridiculous! You didn’t want me to know?! Then why are you telling me now?! You’re mad!” Xephos twisted against the sheets, his bed growing more restricting as his frustration grew. The presence of the undecided hand enraged him even further, “Don’t even think about fucking touching me!” Scrunching his face at an extreme level Xephos yanked away from the blonde’s hand, desperately using his strength to sit upright. His wrists betrayed him giving way under the applied weight crumpling him back into the mattress.

Lalna reacted jumping from his seat to assist but became static as his biggest oversight swooped into place. Electricity danced along his nerves, his stomach lurched with a swelling guilt as his voice shook. He couldn’t understand how could not have foreseen the devastation before him. He should have predicted it when he took on the project that this kind of situation could arise.

“It’s okay Xeph, it’s okay…” Comforting Xephos was arguably Lalna’s greatest achievement in the field of science but his biggest socially liable failure. Cradling the shaken man within his… its arms, was the painstakingly constructed R. I. D. G. E. Lalna could easily recall to when he tried to name his creation, falling back onto easy to make acronyms to find a solution. He Settled on R. I. D. G. E. because he thought it was an interesting name and accurate enough descrption if the need to explain arose: Realistic Interface Daemon Gnutella Existence. Lalna could have added more letters to explain the being further but the creation wasn’t for his own enjoyment, he made it for a much greater cause; A companion for Xephos.

For countless days Xephos would lock himself away into the deepest inner workings of the labs to labour over experiments, algorithms, machine construction, anything of the sort to help advance their cause, but like any social being such overstrained reclusive activities took their toll on Xephos’ mind. His patience was thin, his anger flares were more frequent and his rapid switch of emotions concerned the other scientists. Lalna thought he was brilliant when he came up with the idea years back: a constant AI partner to fill the social necessity, a program tailor suited exactly to Xephos’ needs.

He couldn’t understand how no one had ever thought of it before. Enthusiastic from the idea, Lalna threw his entire being full heartedly into the project knowing that if it were to succeed, the program could advance Xephos’ productivity tenfold but more importantly, salvage his slipping mind.

Materials were easy to come by, strolling through lab after conjoined lab offered Lalna a smorgasbord of circuitry, golden plated wires, chip encoders and even extras he snatched for ‘just in case’ scenarios. His biggest trial was making the software into something small and fusible to the human mind without harming the carrier. Test subjects were brought in and used extensively during the prototype stage for Lalna to learn what he needed to tweak and add in. During the first beta he willingly tested it on himself but tore the chip out instantly as his designated AI was far too ‘livid’ for his stomach to handle.

A few more subjects later and Lalna’s confidence grew enough to polish a final product. His last objective was to find a situation where he could discretely as possible attach the chip to the back of Xephos’ neck. The program needed sufficient space to the brain to activate and trigger the AI to life but it had to be far away enough not to poison the mind and possibly cause permanent nerve damage. Xephos graciously provided such the opportunity as Lalna found him slouched over his desk, out cold from exhaustion. In one slick movement Lalna gently placed the device an inch and a half below the base of Xephos skull and gleefully watched as his weeks of endless work burrowed itself into Xephos’ skin. Lalna knew the painful experience would rouse Xephos immediately after the device stirred but he had to ensure that the program had fully implemented into Xephos’ brain before he could be allowed to scratch at his neck in surprise. Lalna leaned over the screaming man’s back to grasp playfully onto both his hands.

With some grade A acting Lalna easily convinced Xephos that he had been indulging in the laboratory’s distillery before coming to find him needing a hug. Xephos warily complied, disregarding his neck long enough for Lalna to catch sound of the familiar buzz signaling that the program had successfully been installed.

A knock at the sliding doors broke the improvised embrace. Lalna contained his excitement as professionally as possible, dying to see what Xephos’ mind had composed as a companion. He had not suspected the amount of detail that his brain went into or exactly how creative Xephos could be. The glowing grin was something that would forever be imprinted into Lalna’s memory, along with how the being waltzed across the room dressed royally form head to toe.

It was to be expected that Xephos would question and be distant with the AI at first but with the amount of programing that went into the software the precisely refined R. I. D. G. E or otherwise known solely as Ridge, was able to come up with an excessive back story and adapt perfectly to Xephos’ ramped mind.

Lalna had never felt so much joy as he watched their relationship progress from an annoying fly around the scientist to his AI becoming someone Xephos could share secrets with. The program could actually make Xephos halt his endless studies to take part in regular meals and keep a normal sleeping pattern. The change in Xephos’ demeanor was clearly evident which in turn influenced the rest of the staff. Everything seemed to be falling perfectly in place as the labs started inclining in a positive direction and creating successful experiments thanks to Xephos’ increase of leadership, with the AI never too far away from his side. There were actual true moments where Xephos would smile and laugh like he used to before all the stress from work and the AI would use witty words or tickle him in a sensitive spot to make the smile grow.

He should have foreseen the inevitable. He should have known something to this nature would happen. Maybe it was Lalna’s blindness and the lack of need for social interaction that left him unable to see such an obvious consequence. He shouldn’t have made the program so flawless, he should have left a glitch or two in to prevent such a measure or perhaps if he explained beforehand that the being was only a program he could have prevented this, but his own desire clouded his mind and the cost was substantial. Xephos had fallen in love with the AI, with Ridge.

Guilt weighed heavy on his mind as he eavesdropped on what he assumed to be their first romantic interaction. Xephos exposed his feelings so openly with confident words and of course the tailor suited AI would reciprocate said feelings, he was programed to make Xephos happy. The kiss that followed forced Lalna to lose the contents of his stomach. He felt so wrong; he had caused that to happen. He made his friend fall in love with his own ideas and imagination, fall in love with something that wasn’t real, an empty entity.

Lalna avoided the pair for as long as he could. He couldn’t bear to see them together and know that he was the one responsible for cursing Xephos to eternal solitude within his own mind. Just thinking about other activities that they could possibly be partaking together spiraled him into an explosion of tears and self-disgust but every time he found the strength to admit his mistake to Xephos he would see them together. The genuine lost smile on Xephos’ lips as they swung their intertwined hands against the breeze crippled Lalna’s resolve pushing him to hide away from the couple again.

When Xephos fell ill from an airborne spill in the labs Lalna knew this was the best chance as any to finally admit the truth. Xephos would be forced to lie in the medical bed and listen to his story and his countless apologizes during it. He wouldn’t be able to run away from the truth and he wouldn’t be able to silence Lalna, he had to listen.

“Just take it easy. Of course he’s mad thinking I’m sort of computer program.” Ridge shot dangerous eyes at Lalna as he rubbed comforting hands down Xephos’ back, “I know I’m real. You know I’m real. Lalna has probably just had too much to drink again. Remember last time when he rambled on about owning a castle in the country housing hundreds of deadly skellingtons? He’s just regularly bonkers, you know this.” Ridge rubbed the side of his face into the crook of Xephos’ neck, calming his own nerves.

Jolting back to the present Lalna stepped away from the pair, knocking over his plastic chair. “No, this is the truth! Xephos I am so sorry…” Lalna’s fingers fiddled with the goggles around his neck, “Ridge… isn’t real.”

“What are you talking about?! Of course he’s real!” Xephos fumbled his hands against Ridge’s shoulders grasping at the extravagant coat’s fabric, “He’s right here. I can feel him…” Tears spouted from the corner of Xephos’ eyes, “You’re just-you’re just jealous!” He buried himself deeper into Ridge’s temperature regulate body.

Placing a comforting kiss onto the top of the messy hair, Ridge eyed Lalna up again, “He might be,” He agreed, gripping tighter, “And mad enough to create such a colourful story too.” Ridge gave another kiss to the top of Xephos’ head before standing up, towering in front of the blonde, “I suggest you leave. I can’t have you giving Xeph unneeded stress when he’s sick.”

Lalna shivered as he looked back at the being he created. He could feel his guts rage inside of him as he faced his guilt again, “No, I can’t. Xephos has to understand that you’re not real.”

“You’re insane! I am real!” Ridge bellowed throwing his arms into the air, “I am Ridge! Adjudicator of the survival games, genius of computers and amateur joke master extraordinar! And,” Ridge kneelt to Xephos’ side, softly grabbing at his loose hand, “Aficionado of Xephos.”

The two men before Lalna shared a smile as they became lost in each other. The scene sickened Lalna to no end, “No you’re not!” He screamed giving a full pushed to Ridge’s chest separating the two, “Your history, your entire being is completely made up!” Lalna pounced on the man, pinning his arms down with the force from his knees. He grabbed at Ridge’s neck asserting heavy force to his windpipe, “You’re not real! You’re not real! Go away! You’re just a program!”

Underneath his fingers the muscles of Ridge’s neck fluctuated, pleading for air the being thought it needed. Under all the pressure Lalna tried urgently to remember the quit command for the chip, “Override 3644 epsilon, no, expel 6621- no that’s not it!” The body beneath him squirmed franticly trying anyway possible to dislodge Lalna but a high pitched wail from the bed was more force than Ridge could have thought.

“Lalna stop!” Xephos’ voice cracked as he balled up the sheets in front of him, too weak to move to psychically assist, “You’re killing him!”

“It’s impossible to kill him this way because he’s just a program!” Lalna barked back clenching his hands deeper into Ridge’s throat.

“No Lalna he’s not a program! Stop this insanity! Snap out of it, please!” Xephos’ strained his words to a screech as his form tensed under fear.

Lalna looked back at the terrified man whose tear stained face buried the memory of the once pure smile. Thinking back to the days of creating the software Lalna recalled a crucial ability he implemented into the chip as he felt his fingers loosen and fall back to his side. One of the biggest break throughs during the beta stages was that whatever the subject thought of the AI, their mind would meld it into reality. If Xephos thought his AI was dying or is dead, the chip would make it so.

No matter how much guilt he felt now, it would be nothing compared to if Lalna ‘killed’ Ridge, the one Xephos has treasured and adored for years right before him during his last moments. Lalna couldn’t allow himself to do such a monstrous thing regardless of the truth he wanted Xephos to know. It would be selfish of him.

Picking himself up off the floor Ridge coughed heavily, “You’re psychotic!” He screamed his voice splintering as it adjusted after the extreme pressure, “Get the hell out of here!”

As he looked back to Xephos one more time Lalna uttered: “Xephos, I’m so sorry.” Before he stumbled over to the medical room’s door, “I’m sorry he’s not real and that I waited till now to tell you. I should have been honest from the beginning.” He hung his head low, blindly grasping for the doorknob.

“Don’t listen to him Xeph, you know I’m real.” Ridge fell back to Xephos’ side, embracing the man tightly. “Everything’s okay, I’m here for you.”

“Stop lying to him!” Lalna screamed, tears budding in his eyes, “Just stop it… he’s dying, the sickness has claimed him… you’re not real… stop lying…” Shaking as he opened the door Lalna couldn’t look back at his friend and the ending he plagued him with, “Good bye, Xephos… I’m sorry.”

The pair watched in shock as the door clicked shut, leaving them alone in the sterile white room. Xephos racked his body with a large coughing fit, suppressing it using his forearm; Ridge only held onto him tighter rocking them back and forth. “He’s the one lying you know; you’re going to be fine. You’ve gotten over worse illnesses.”

Xephos sniffed happily, clearing his throat, “Yeah you’re right. I just need a bit more rest. That’s all.”

Ridge took this cue to slowly lower them to lie back against the bed, ignoring the pillow as they bumped foreheads together. Xephos curled into Ridge’s chest, slipping his hands around the familiar torso, “You going to sleep here with me..?” Xephos whispered feeling weak again.

Nodding Ridge wrapped his arms protectively around Xephos’ back, “I’m going to stay here for you.”

“Good…” Xephos smiled, closing his eyes feeling his breath slow, “I’m going to get better, right Ridge?”

Ridge felt his mind grow hazy from what he assumed was fatigue, when in actuality his circuit was fading with Xephos’ mind. “You’ll get better. I know you will, because you’re my wonderful Xeph and you’re unstoppable.” Ridge chuckled, his limbs growing frail.

“I’m only unstoppable when I’m with you,” Xephos pushed his lips out to kiss at the billowing coat but couldn’t find the power to push forward to meet the silk fabric, “You’re my Ridge and I love you, beyond any words I can say…”

Another unsettling tremor slipped through Ridge’s body, “I love you too Xephos. Nothing can separate us apart. I’m always going to be with you. Everything’s okay. Everyth-“

Xephos’ heart stopped. His brain functions ceased. The chip no longer had any power. Ridge’s stale body flickered, holding onto the last of its power reserves. It couldn’t let go even as it ran on borrowed time. Xephos was gone but the AI couldn’t let go, until its very last seconds of power, the AI fought to hold the body it had merged with years ago. It didn’t want to leave the arms it had come to know as home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again to Cercia for the headcanon for this fic.


End file.
